Indicator for automobiles.



- D. DANN.

INDICATOR FOB AUTOMOBILE S.

APPLICATION nun APR. 27, 1912.

7 1,050,812. Patented Jan. 21,1913.

2 SHEETS-4BR 1.

D. DANN.

INDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27, 1912. 1,050,812. Patented Jan 21, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wi lmemo WM, an! I UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE.

DUANE DANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

INDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES:

Patented Jan. 21, 1913.

Application filed April 27, 1912. Serial No. 693 578.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DUANE DANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at. Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have inv nted certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators for Automobiles, of which the following is a specificatjion.

This invention relates to indicators for automobiles and other vehicles to indicate the direction the .driver is going to turn, and its object is to provide a device of this kind which is simple in construction, reliable in operation. and easily actuated.

The invention also has for its objectto provide, in connection with the indicator, an electric lamp, the circuit of which is controlled by the movement of the indicator.

Other objecisnnd advantages of the invention will he pointed out in'the detailed description a,. eariug hereinafter.

In order that the invention may be better understood, reference is had to the accompa nying drawing, in whichliigure 1 is a rear end view of an automobile equipped with the. indicator. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the indicator. Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the means for operating the indicator. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circuit.

Referring specifically to the drawing, 10

denotes an open supporting frame Within which pivoizilly mounted an Indicator 11, which, in the present instance has the outline oi" a hand. This frame is mounted in any suitable manner on the rear sill of the Lftll' so that the indicator when swung into indicating position may be visible to the driver of a car following behind. To one of the side bars of the frame, on the inside thereof-,is secured a horizontally extending racket arm i2 having a pivotopening to rrr-circ the upper end of a vertical spindle 1 to \vh? :l. he indicator is made fast. An arm l.-l extends obliquely upward from the hozloni bar of the frame on the inside thereof, and has a pivot. opening to receive the lower end of the spindle. This arm may be formed integral with the bottom bar. The spindle is free to rotate in the aforesaid pivot openings, and as the indicator 11 isthe spindle 13, there is provided a footlever 15 which is set in a block 16 mounted on the front floor of the car, said lever being pivoted in a slot in the block so as to swing transversely of the car. The le er extends beneath the floor and to its lower end are connected cords 17 which extend in opposite direct-ions to guide pulleys 18, over which latter they pass and thence extend rearward and are connected to arms 19 carried by and extending in opposite directions from the spindle. The indicator 11 is normally positioned within the frame, and by operating the lever 15, itis swung out of the frame to point to the right or left as desired. The frame 10 also carries a light, which is an ordinary incandescent electric lamp 20. One of the circuit Wires 21 of the lamp, leading from one current source 22 on the car, is connected to a tongue 23 fastened to one side of a block 21 of insulating material which is mounted on the bracket arm 12. To the other side of the block 24 is secured a tongue 25 which is connected by a conductor 26 to the other side of the current source 22. The two tongues 23 and 25 extend from one end of the block and their projecting ends are twisted so as to present two vertically spaced switch-tongues. The switch-tongues are normally out of contact, so that the lamp circuit is broken, said circuit being closed by bringing the switclrtongues together.

side of a suitable following devices The spindle 13 is movable in thedirection of its length and the switchtonguc25 is in the path of its upper end. The arm 14 is inclined, and the spindle carries a projecting pin 28 which engages the incline. It will therefore be evident that the spindle is moved upward when it is rotated in. either direction to. project the indicator 11 from the frame 10, thus closing the lamp circuit by bringing the tongue 25 in contact with the tongue 23. When the indicator is swung back into the frame, the pin 28 slips down the incline, thereby allowing the spindle drop and the switch tongues to separate to break the lamp circuit. The downward movement of the spindle is assured by a spring 29 coiled around its upper end, between the bracket-arm l2 and an abutment 3 on the spindle.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown, but it will be under stood that various changes in the structural details may be made without a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

' 1. The combination with a vehicle of a support mounted thereon, bearings carried by the support, one of said bearings having an incline, a rotatable spindle journaled in the bearings and free to move in the direction of its length, a pin carried by the spindle and engageable with the incline, an indicator carried by the spindle, an electric lamp, a switch controllin the lamp circuit, said switch being contro led by the longitudinal movement of the spindle, and means for rotating thespindle.

2. The combination with a vehicle of a support mounted thereon, bearings carried by the support, one of said bearings having an incline, a rotatable spindle journaled in the bearings and free to move in the direction of its length, a pin carried by the spindle and engageable with the incline, an indicator carried by the spindle, an electric lamp, a switch controlling the lamp circuit, said switch comprising spaced ton ues, one of which tongues is in the ath 0 one end of the spindle, and means or rotating the spindle.

3Q The combination with a vehicle, of an in the bearings and free to move open frame mounted thereon,'bearings carneed by the frame, one of said bearings having an incline, a rotatable spindlejournaled 1n the direction of its length, a pin carried by the spindle and engageable with the incline, an indicator carried by the spindle and swinging out of the frame when the spindle is rotated, an electric lamp carried by the frame, a switch controlling the lamp'cirouit,

said switch being controlled by the long1-' tudinal movement of the spindle, and means for rotating the spindle.

4. The combination with a vehicle, of a support mounted thereon, bearings carried by the support, a rotatable spindle journaled in the bearings and free to move in the direction of its length, an indicator carried by the spindle, an electric lamp, a switch controlling the lamp circuit, said switch being controlled by the longitudinal movement of the spindle, means for rotating the spindle, and

means for moving the spindle in the direction of its length.

In testimon whereof I atfix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

DUANE DANN. Witnesses:

S. J. LEHRER, H. G. BATOHELOR. 

